Froome, Contador to duel for Spanish Vuelta title
Source: Agencies |
August 18, 2012, Saturday
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ONE cyclist will be chasing an elusive victory, another starting the long road back from doping disgrace when the Spanish Vuelta starts today in Pamplona.
Christopher Froome is seeking to go one better after finishing second in the Tour de France behind Sky teammate Bradley Wiggins. He was also runner-up in last year's Vuelta.
"This race is definitely a great opportunity for me," Froome said. "I will do my part and I know the rest of the team is ready. I'd certainly love to win a Grand Tour after finishing second in the last two I've done."
Froome's main challenger is likely to be Alberto Contador, who will be competing in his first major race since serving a doping ban that cost him his third Tour title.
Contador, who won the Vuelta in 2008, completed the ban earlier this month after testing positive for the banned stimulant clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour. Having not raced for over a year, he then used the seven-day Eneco Tour in Belgium and the Netherlands to warm up for the Vuelta with his Team Saxo Bank.
Contador, who denies he doped, said he had been affected by the ban and was eager to compete again.
"My spirits are high and I am up for the race," he said. "What I have been through during the last months has left its mark, it is impossible to ignore it. I have suffered but I am now looking to the future. I am motivated and excited for the Vuelta to begin."
Five-time Tour winner Miguel Indurain, who failed to win the Vuelta in his native Spain, predicted a close race. "The best names in the world are going to fight for the victory," he told Spanish sports daily AS, predicting that Froome and Contador will face competition from Alejandro Valverde, Juan Jose Cobo, Joaquim Rodriguez, Igor Anton and Robert Gesink.
Indurain said Contador was "a born winner...I'm sure he will be eager to win on his return."
Cobo, who edged Froome to win last year, returns with new Movistar teammate Valverde, while Rodriguez, who finished second at the Giro d'Italia, will be supported by two-time Vuelta winner and Katusha teammate Denis Menchov.
Froome again proved to be one of the best climbers in this summer's Tour when he had to slow down for Wiggins to keep pace with him on the tougher mountain stages. "Froome could be the main rival to take into account," Contador said. "He has a potent team, and he is a very strong rider. In 2011 he came close to winning the Vuelta and he was the strongest rider in the Tour."
The Vuelta, the third of the classic European summer races following the Tour and Giro, begins today with a 16.5-kilometer team time trial through the narrow cobblestone streets of Pamplona.
Christopher Froome is seeking to go one better after finishing second in the Tour de France behind Sky teammate Bradley Wiggins. He was also runner-up in last year's Vuelta.
"This race is definitely a great opportunity for me," Froome said. "I will do my part and I know the rest of the team is ready. I'd certainly love to win a Grand Tour after finishing second in the last two I've done."
Froome's main challenger is likely to be Alberto Contador, who will be competing in his first major race since serving a doping ban that cost him his third Tour title.
Contador, who won the Vuelta in 2008, completed the ban earlier this month after testing positive for the banned stimulant clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour. Having not raced for over a year, he then used the seven-day Eneco Tour in Belgium and the Netherlands to warm up for the Vuelta with his Team Saxo Bank.
Contador, who denies he doped, said he had been affected by the ban and was eager to compete again.
"My spirits are high and I am up for the race," he said. "What I have been through during the last months has left its mark, it is impossible to ignore it. I have suffered but I am now looking to the future. I am motivated and excited for the Vuelta to begin."
Five-time Tour winner Miguel Indurain, who failed to win the Vuelta in his native Spain, predicted a close race. "The best names in the world are going to fight for the victory," he told Spanish sports daily AS, predicting that Froome and Contador will face competition from Alejandro Valverde, Juan Jose Cobo, Joaquim Rodriguez, Igor Anton and Robert Gesink.
Indurain said Contador was "a born winner...I'm sure he will be eager to win on his return."
Cobo, who edged Froome to win last year, returns with new Movistar teammate Valverde, while Rodriguez, who finished second at the Giro d'Italia, will be supported by two-time Vuelta winner and Katusha teammate Denis Menchov.
Froome again proved to be one of the best climbers in this summer's Tour when he had to slow down for Wiggins to keep pace with him on the tougher mountain stages. "Froome could be the main rival to take into account," Contador said. "He has a potent team, and he is a very strong rider. In 2011 he came close to winning the Vuelta and he was the strongest rider in the Tour."
The Vuelta, the third of the classic European summer races following the Tour and Giro, begins today with a 16.5-kilometer team time trial through the narrow cobblestone streets of Pamplona.
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